Recent Tasting Notes

Sipdown, 180! Yay. I am sad to sip this one down but I have a strict no hoarding policy so if something is within sipdown range I drink it, not save it, even if it is basically irreplaceable (like this one).

Mmm, I think I will vamp on this one when I eventually try my own herbal blend. Lots of bright, lemony verbena, juicy orange, sweet appley chamomile. Yum. For my own herbal, I will add rose buds/petals because why not?

Preparation

This is a pretty delicious Chamana herbal tea as well. I don’t know that I’ve ever had lemon verbena, much less a tisane that is based primarily in it (and I suppose also chamomile), but it is quite lovely. Lemony in a way that is different from lemongrass but I can’t articulate how. The chamomile is very nice in here… Not musty, just slightly appley that works well with the verbena. There is also supposed to be clementine in here which is probably also adding to the entire flavor. I mean, it’s not distinct really but I suppose that the lemon is perhaps a little sweeter and more orangey the more I drink. Almost like a Meyer lemon!

This is a blend I feel like I might be able to recreate, the only kink is the clementine. Perhaps some orange peel could also work. It’s an herbal I really enjoy, and I am definitely on the lookout for those for the evenings.

Sipdown, actually 199 (though I still haven’t added the LITs that aren’t on Steepster yet). Time to sipdown an Argentine herbal blend.

What an interesting blend of flavors; I could smell the cinnamon and ginger from the bags, and definitely in the brewed tea along with the fig for sure (my boyfriend says: smells like Christmas). Well shoot, it would figure that the one rooibos that I really enjoy would be basically impossible to find in the states. This does taste like Christmas, with warm spices and fruits. It reminds me of mulled cider, even though its not particularly appley.

There is another Chamana tea that I really like, so maybe I will be able to find them someday. Otherwise the next time I go back to Argentina (whenever that might be…).

Preparation

Sipdown, 184 (hmmm I seem to have lost a tea in there somewhere. Don’t remember destashing one.)

I brought this home from Argentina a while ago, but finally I’ve been drinking all my herbal teas at night, so I am finally going through them. This is a rooibos, and I’ve been liking rooibos less and less since I’ve been drinking more of it. It has that medicinal, menthol smell. Fortunately it doesn’t really taste like it. It also doesn’t taste much like hazelnuts or dulce de leche. Maybe a bit like apples, but I can’t tell if maybe it’s just my weird juicy taste I’ve been having in my mouth. On well.

Preparation

Sipdown, 184. I see now that I said this one was kind of weak on my last note, and that is also the case this time. Lightly lemony, lightly cinnamony, even the rooibos is light. Well it was fine this even anyway, and this was my last bag, so that’s that.

Preparation

I am feeling a bit better today… the past days I’ve been too sick to even want tea! I’m already tired of my doctor-ordered chicken-noodle-soup and crackers diet, but though I’m feeling a little better I’m definitely not well yet. Sigh.

This one is rooibos with cinnamon and “crunchy” lemon, and I chose it because I thought the lemon would be nice right now. It smells very cinnamony through the bag and very cinnamony when steeped. There’s a faint brightness to the aroma that is likely the lemon, and that slightly nutty note that I get from rooibos. I wish there was a little bit more to the flavor… it’s a little weak, though I suppose I could steep it for longer without any ill effects. Also definitely cinnamon in the taste. I don’t get a lot of lemon, but I guess there’s a brightness. Basically it’s mostly a light cinnamon rooibos tea. I think I’ll brew it longer next time to see how it changes the taste.

Preparation

I am having a horrible, horrible coughing fit tonight and I just can’t stop this painful hacking. It sucks. My boyfriend said maybe I should have some tea, that the vapors might calm my lungs a bit, and though I initially didn’t think it would help, what the heck, maybe it would work. This tisane was definitely the one to turn to… if anything was going to help me, it would be the mint and eucalyptus in this one.

And it might be helping a bit. I’m still coughing, but it’s calmed down a bit. It’s just an all around soothing cup. This really is an awesome infusion, and when I run out of the few tea bags of it that I have you can believe I will be trying to find it online.

Preparation

Hey looky here, I actually did bring back tea from Argentina! This is a tea that I normally wouldn’t have given a second thought. The combination of flavors—spearmint, verbena, eucalyptus and melon—doesn’t really sound that appealing to me. But I had a bag of it at a friend’s house in Argentina at the end of an evening of a bit too much wine hoping it would help settle my stomach. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it! So I bought a sample box from this tea company that included some other herbals that sounded tasty as well. It is a tea bag, which I normally avoid, but you take what you can get.

Since I’ve been feeling pretty awful lately, and that includes some GI troubles, I thought maybe this infusion would be the tea for me. Mmm, and it’s definitely very nice. A bit herby, melony and sweet, it tastes like delicious fresh sweet canteloupe. The other herbs add some depth and other flavors to the tea, but they don’t overwhelm. I’m often afraid of mint in a tea, especially with fruit, because I often don’t like that combination, but it works. And I think it’s already soothing me a bit. Now I wish I had bought a box of only this tea to have it around!

Preparation

Chamana is by far the most delicious infusions I’ve ever tried. Cantaloupe is not my favourite fruit but tasting it as an infusion was enough to love it. Perfect blend but the strongest rolls were played by cantaloupe & vervena leafs, perfect for your tummy or just a little dessert.